The Anatomy Of feature has always been about getting under the skin of the bands we admire at Heavy Blog Is Heavy. Listening to the bands that made them pick up their instruments and start pouring out their souls becomes something new in itself. Norway’s Attan don’t sound like any…

Greetings once more, lovers of the black. Welcome to Kvlt Kolvmn. The time is ripe for another fresh batch of black metal selections hellbent on freezing your blood and pulverizing your heart into a fine pulp. Thankfully, August offered an abundance of such releases, particularly in the experimental camp. If…

Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open the floodgates and unleash a seemingly endless stream of quality new music. But while some of our Editors and Contributors sit down gleefully each week to dive into this newly stocked treasure…

The inevitable collision of expectation and reality when it comes to new music has its roots in the initial album description pitched to listeners. This is where the pervasive dilemma of hype is born; what’s said about an album on paper has to balance the desire to attract interest with…

The most common feedback we get from our readers about this site and why they continue to follow us (aside from our dashing good looks, obviously) is that they come to us to find out about bands new and old they might have otherwise never been introduced to. We pride ourselves…

The Secret’s last effort, Agnus Dei, was killer. It’s metallic hardcore done right, and it’s one of the best records to come out in the past few years. The band have prepared a new music video for us all for the track ‘May God Damn Us All’, which rules. It’s a…

O hay, it’s The King Of Procrastination! I’ve been letting the world of music pass me by the past couple of months as I’m creating my website and writing my horror novel and almost let the top of the year list slip by me. Luckily, Riddick the Cat called me…

There is a certain perverse irony behind the title of The Secret’s fourth album, Agnus Dei. The Italian metallic hardcore outfit’s latest offering bears the title of the peaceful Christian symbol of a holy lamb, yet presents itself as a wolf amongst the flock devouring the innocent beasts. While initially an intriguing and entertaining endeavor, repeated listens quickly reveal that this analogy would be more appropriately adjusted to describe Agnus Dei as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. For while The Secret provide a solid performance of the recent trend of sludgy, grind influenced hardcore, this lycan ferocity is padded down by certain wooly missteps.

Consider The Secret a secret no longer for myself. This Italian hardcore group deliver grinding hardcore in the same vein as the recently discussed Early Graves, so after my first listen of the title track of their upcoming album it was one of those ‘where have you been all my life!?’…

The previously announced Southern Lord summer package tour featuring Black Breath, Martyrdod, Burning Love, Enabler, and more now has dates available. If only Summer Slaughter were so quick with their turn around, eh? Here are the dates. Make it out, hardcore fans. 6/19 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon w/ Poison…